Tarnos - La Digue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the next couple of weeks are shaping up like for the local zone.

Honestly, it's a pretty bleak run ahead for Tarnos - La Digue. The next week and a half is looking mostly flat and messy, with only a few tiny windows where it might be worth a paddle. The pattern is poor surf conditions dominating the outlook, with very little energy or quality on offer.

Right now and through the first few days, it's small and poor. Monday and Tuesday mornings are seeing a tiny 2ft swell from the northwest with a short period of 9 seconds, but the wind is all wrong—on or cross-on—keeping things choppy and unrideable. The combined swell energy is weak, sitting in the 80s (88 and 80), which just confirms there's nothing doing.

We get a brief, slight glimmer on Wednesday morning the 12th of August. It's still tiny at 2ft from the northwest, period a short 8 seconds, but the wind goes glassy. The energy is still weak at 69, and the conditions are described as "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It's a 1 out of 10 kind of session—a longboard or a foiler might get a few knee-high bumps, but it's nothing to get excited about.

After that, it's back to poor conditions for days. Thursday the 13th is glassy again in the morning but the swell drops to just 1ft—basically flat. The energy reading plummets to 37.

The next real chance isn't until Sunday morning the 16th of August. Again, glassy conditions, with a 2ft northwest swell but a short period of 7 seconds. The energy is still weak at 88. It's another "very ordinary" 1 out of 10 day. A glimmer, but not a stand-out.

Then on Monday the 17th of August, we finally get some offshore wind from the east. The swell is still small at 3ft, period is a short 7 seconds, and the energy is weak at 69. The conditions are clean, and it's rated as "surfable but very ordinary." For a beginner, this might be the pick of a very poor bunch—small, clean, and easy paddling. It's not a standout wave by any stretch.

We then hit another gap of poor conditions until Wednesday morning the 19th of August. Glassy again, with a 3ft northwest swell, period of 8 seconds, energy at 82. "Very ordinary." This is the theme.

The closest thing to a standout, if you can call it that, comes on Friday morning the 21st of August. The swell picks up to 3ft from the northwest, but the period is still a short 7 seconds. The combined energy is 139, which is moderate. The wind goes dead calm and glassy. It's another "very ordinary" 1 out of 10, but that glassy surface and the slightly higher energy makes it the best wave of the whole outlook. The swell direction is northwest, which is close to the optimum west for Tarnos, so it should wrap in okay for a point break style wave on the jetty. It's not going to be big, but it will be the cleanest and most rideable the place gets.

The following days into the end of the month all look poor again, with onshore winds and messy conditions. The energy does climb into the 150s on the 22nd and 23rd, but the wind is on it, making it a messy, blown-out mess. For the size (3ft) and those onshore winds, it's more of a kite session than a paddle session.

Overall, it's a grim 16 days for Tarnos. A few glassy windows with tiny, weak swell. If you're a beginner looking for a clean, safe paddle on a longboard, the mornings of the 12th, 16th, 17th, and 19th might be worth a look. The best chance for a clean wave is Friday morning the 21st, but don't expect much. Water temp is about average for the time of year. For the rest of us, save the petrol money.

- Rusty

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